The Seattle Mariners used solo homers by Abraham Toro and Jarred Kelenic off Tampa Bay Rays starter Luis Patino to break a 1-1 tie, and go on for their sixth straight win in the season series with a 4-2 decision Tuesday at Tropicana Field.
After Patino put up a zero in the top of the first inning, Tampa Bay needed just one pitch to take an early lead, as Randy Arozarena took Yusei Kikuchi‘s first pitch of the night and sent it deep into the seats in left for his 16th home run of the season.
The homer was Arozarena’s second career leadoff home run, with the first coming on July 21 against Baltimore.
But Patino couldn’t get the shutdown inning in the top of the second, as Jake Fraley doubled down the left field line, moved to third on a fly ball out by Jarred Kelenic, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cal Raleigh.
Toro came up with a defensive gem in the bottom of the third, robbing Joey Wendle of a hit, then led off the top of the fourth with his ninth home run of the season, breaking the tie. After getting Fraley to fly out, Patino then served up a solo shot to Kelenic, his fourth of the year, to make it 3-1.
Tampa Bay got one of those runs back thanks to a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth, as Austin Meadows singled, then scored on a base hit by Margot that was misplayed in left by Fraley for an error.
But the Rays weren’t able to get the tying run in from scoring position in that inning, and also stranded the tying run at third base in the fifth before Seattle added on an unearned run in the sixth against reliever Ryan Sherriff with a throwing error by Joey Wendle and a missed catch by Brandon Lowe.
“It’s back-to-back nights where it’s been uncharacteristic,” manager Kevin Cash said regarding the miscues in the field. “The guys work really hard at their defense. They’ll continue to do that, but it has been uncharacteristic.”
The Rays got the tying run to the plate in the sixth, seventh, and with two outs in the ninth, but could not get the key hit to keep the inning moving along.
Tampa Bay falls to 0-6 on the season against the Mariners, while Seattle is now 16-6 at Tropicana Field since 2014.
The Rays will look to salvage a win in the finale of the season series, with Josh Fleming (8-5, 4.15 ERA) taking on Logan Gilbert (5-2, 4.04 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
